An Extended Family Session at Veterans Acres Nature Center Crystal Lake | The Dorman Family

There is something so special about an evening spent with three generations of one family, all gathered in the same place, at the same time, for no other reason than to be together. That is exactly what this session with the Dorman family felt like.

We met at the Nature Center at Veterans Acres in Crystal Lake, and it turned out to be the most perfect setting for an extended family session. The light that evening was soft and golden, the kind that makes everything feel a little more special, and this family made my job so easy from the moment they arrived.

I love extended family sessions for exactly this reason. They are never about getting the perfectly posed photo or making sure every single smile is camera ready. They are about carving out time, on a random Tuesday evening, to gather everyone in front of a camera and say, this matters. We matter. Parents, grandparents, grown kids, spouses, and the newest member of the family, all in one frame.

Watching this family together, I could tell how much they truly enjoy each other's company. There was so much warmth, so much easy laughter, and so much love passed around all evening long. Sweet baby Wyatt, just two months old, was an absolute doll and soaked up every bit of attention from his family, who could not get enough of him.

But if I am being honest, some of my very favorite images from the whole evening were the quiet portraits of Jean and Bill together. There is something so grounding about photographing the two people who started it all. Those images were simple and classic, full of decades of history between them, and they are the kind of photographs that only mean more as time goes on.

Dorman family, thank you so much for spending your evening with me at Veterans Acres. It truly was an honor to photograph your family and the love you all share. Now snuggle up, because your sneak peek is live!